Kuwait freight forwarders are hopefulthat government open skies initiativesintroduced in December will attract morecarriers from the Far East and Africa toKuwait International Airport, accordingto Iqbal Qureshi, CEO of Bahman AviationShipping and Logistics. "Currently most of the 43 carrierswho serve Kuwait are Middle Eastern orEuropean, with only Singapore Airlinescoming in from the Far East," he says. "We are hoping for Asian carriers to balance out European … [Read more...] about Kuwait appeals for Asian carriers
Air Freight Asia
Champ sees growth in Asia, Africa
Central Asia, East Asia and Africa arethe key growth areas that Champ Cargosystemshas in its sights, according toits director of sales, Nick Barlow. The company, formed as a jointventure by Cargolux and SITA Inc inDecember 2004, provides IT systemsfor some 60 carriers, and is particularlystrong among Middle Eastern airlinessuch as Gulf Air, Kuwait Airways andMEA. Barlow says Champ is in discussionwith a couple more carriers in the region,but expects the markets mentioned tohave the best … [Read more...] about Champ sees growth in Asia, Africa
IBS optimistic of signing core carriers
Nippon Cargo Airlines will go livewith iCargo, the new generation cargosystem being developed by IBS, by theend of year, and Larry Mays, seniorvice president cargo for IBS, says heis very hopeful that the other carrierswho have advised on the developmentof the system, will also adopt it. Apart from NCA, the other airlinesin IBS' so-called Core Group of Influenceare Qantas, Air New Zealand,South African Airways,Gulf Air and Australian AirExpress. "We are finalising negotiationswith them … [Read more...] about IBS optimistic of signing core carriers
TAPA to unveil ground handling standard
TAPA, the Transported AssetProtection Association, is preparingto unveil a new security standard forcargo warehouses that was developedby HACTL in Hong Kong, accordingto chairman EMEA ThorstenNeumann. "I have spoken to airlines andthey are ready to pressure groundhandlers to adopt it," he told delegatesat the World Air Cargo Eventin Dubai. Neumann said TAPA wasalso pressing IATA and the EU torecognise its standards, which havealready been endorsed by the USC-TPAT … [Read more...] about TAPA to unveil ground handling standard
Cargolux warns of falling rates to Gulf
Cargolux has noticed some downwardpressure on routes from Europe toDubai, Abu Dhabi and Sharjah, accordingto Pierre Wesner, the carriers' vicepresident sales and marketing EMEA,which suggests that these routes mightbe in danger of over-capacity. That is of particular concern to Europeanfreighter operators, who oftenuse stops in the Middle East to counterpoor or low yielding eastbound loads onflights from Europe to Asia. In Cargolux's case, for example,around half of eastbound capacity … [Read more...] about Cargolux warns of falling rates to Gulf
Still regional shortcomings, despite massive investment
The air cargo industry in the Gulfshould not be complacent despite itssoaring growth, Des Vertannes, who lastmonth joined Etihad as head of cargofrom his previous employer Gulf Air,told the recent World Air Cargo Eventin Dubai. Despite eye-popping levels of investments- some $30bn in aviation-relatedinfrastructure and a world-leading$60billion in outstanding aircraft orders- the region still faced significantchallenges if it was to sustain the opportunitiesand benefits from the currentgrowth … [Read more...] about Still regional shortcomings, despite massive investment